Editor’s Note:This year marked the 148th running of the Cadet Imperial Competition. In its current format, it is open to Cadets aged 14 or 15, senior Cadets who may be about to move on to become Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) and CFAVs seeking to improve their own target shooting skills. The event lasts a week, during which competitors fire at 300, 600, 800 and 900 yards using the bolt-action L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle.

Corporal Marsland takes over the story:

Cadet L/Cpl Marsland at Bisley earlier this year.

From the 9th July, I took part in the Cadet Imperial 2017.On arrival, we were allocated our rooms, told the timings for the following day and then left to sort our own kit and to get to know the people we were staying with for the next two weeks. The Cadets around me came from all over the United Kingdom and from the CCF and Air Cadets as well as the Army Cadet Force.

We began our practice shoots on the 10th, as the competitions started on the 14th. The 13th was set aside as a rest day after two solid days shooting.

From the 14th onwards, we took part in different competitions, shooting at 300, 500 and 600 yards. On the 18th we had the experience of shooting long distance out to 900 yards, a much greater range than most people ever shoot at.

This was the second time I had attended Bisley, but it was still a whole new experience as the previous time I had fired the L98A2 cadet rifle, whereas this time I was shooting the L81 target rifle. During the course of the week, I learned how to shoot alongside three other people in my lane and to self-coach, trying to judge the wind correctly, adjusting the sights correctly as well as other skills to get the bullet on target.

While doing the Cadet Imperial, I met and made friends with people from different places all over Great Britain. I really enjoyed taking part in the event and I would recommend it to anyone who gets the chance.

L/Cpl Marsland and the GMACF Target Rifle Team at Bisley 2017

Do you have what it takes to serve with GMACF, either as an Adult Volunteer or as a Cadet? Are you looking for an opportunity to work hard and develop new skills? If so, why not contact GMACF County HQ on 01204 512600.

Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force can also be found in other locations on the Internet

This time of year is the pinnacle of Cadet Target Rifle Shooting with the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting otherwise known as ISCRM held at the well-known Centenary Range on the National Rifle Association grounds at Bisley in Surrey, the home of British shooting.

Prior to the competition, the top 20 teams in the ACF attend a four-day pre-Bisley shooting and coaching course to help prepare Cadets and coaches. Due to limited time on the range prior to the ISCRM we needed all the practice we could get! This year GMACF had 10 Cadets attending, who left Holcombe Moor on Sunday 2nd July for the drive down to Surrey, where Pirbright Camp would be our home for the next eight days.

The week started off with a series of lectures and then straight onto the ranges firing at 100m, 300m, 500m and 600m. Sadly, due to the excessive heat we had to stop training early on Wednesday though this didn’t put the teams off their game.

On Thursday, the final day of pre-Bisley, the teams took part in the Commonwealth Match to help coaches see how their teams worked in a timed shoot. At this point, team selections were finalised.

Team A consisted of Cdt Sgt Anderson, Cdt Sgt Short, Cdt LCpl Wolstenholme and Cdt LCpl Marsland, coached by myself. In Team B were Cdt LBdr Mason, Cdt LCpl Savery, Cdt Homes and Cdt Phillips, coached by 2Lt Chris Townson. Cdt LCpl Davies and Cdt Lythgoe then took the role of team markers working for the duration of the competition in the butts marking the targets where the rounds landed, to allow the teams to adjust their sights after each shot.

After Lunch all the teams representing the Sea Cadets, Air Training Corps, Combined Cadet Force and the ACF – a total of 84 teams – descended on Bisley and Pirbright Camp

Friday started in earnest with a practice shoot at 300m, to ensure any last-minute sight adjustments and introduce the teams to how the competition would work from then on. Straight after came the individual 300m Shoot and 600m Shoot, fighting the horrible wind on Centenary Range swirling from all directions. Sadly, again because of the heat, the day was cut short and the Cadet Coached Shoot was cancelled (the Cadet Coached Shoot is where the Cadets coach each other, with no adult coaches are allowed on the firing point.

After another early start, Saturday started at a brisk pace with two shoots at 300m immediately followed by two shoots at 500m. These shoots where for both the Frankfort Trophy and Patriotic Shield, each completion assessed by the combined scores at both 300m and 500m. The combined scores from Saturday and the 600m shoot from Friday determine the rankings for the Cadet 100 award. This is the overall ranking of all ACF Cadets.

Last year, we managed to get one firer in the top one hundred; this year the team achieved three top 100 places Cdt Sgt Short, Cdt Sgt Anderson and Cdt LCpl Wolstenholme placing 33rd, 83rd and 93rd respectively out of a total of 329 ACF Cadets – a glowing reflection of all the hard work put in by Cadets and adults alike and a just reward for all the freezing winter practices at Holcombe in January and February. Saturday night saw the team enjoy a well-earned rest and recuperation with a visit to Pizza Hut!

Another early start on Sunday saw all the teams descending on Century Range for the last competition, the Watts Bowl, fired at 600m, the longest competition with 12 rounds fired by each team member, all of them counting to the final score. The final shoot of the day was the Inter-Service Competition with teams of 8 Cadets from of all UK Cadet organisations and Canadian teams shooting against each other.

Straight after this, the Cadet 100 parade is held on the Range where the Cadets are presented with their Cadet 100 badges by senior ACF officers. The last thing to do before heading back home is the Butt Markers Parade where all the teams and coaches applaud all the Cadets who have spent the week working in the butts – it’s our way of saying thank you for all their hard work.

The competition was a huge success not only for the three who gained their Cadet 100 but for our younger members who were attending for the first time and whose shooting improved over the weekend.

As most of the team departed on the long journey home Cdt Sgt Short and Cdt Marsland stayed behind to participate in further competitions. Cdt Sgt Short has been selected to travel to Canada for six weeks to participate in the Army Cadet Leadership Instructor Marksmanship course, attached to the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Force, while Cdt Marsland is staying at Bisley for a further two weeks to take part in the Cadet Imperial Competition.

I would like to say a big thank you to all the Cadets who took part as well as the staff – Lt Short, 2Lt Townson, SI Bland, SI Gibb and SI Maunder for all their determined effort over the week.

Do you have what it takes to serve with GMACF, either as an Adult Volunteer or as a Cadet? Are you looking for an opportunity to work hard and develop new skills? If so, why not contact GMACF County HQ on 01204 512600.

Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force can also be found in other locations on the Internet

On the weekend of 20 – 23 October 2016 I attended the Cadet Inter-Services Skill at Arms Meeting CISSAM) at Bisley as part of GMACF’s County Shooting Team. This was the third time I had been to Bisley but this was a new experience because on this weekend we used the L98A2 Cadet rifle, whereas previously I had used the Parker-Hale target rifle.

On arrival at Bisley we had a briefing giving us the details of when we had to get up, timings for breakfast and where to go after eating. We then went to our rooms to sort them out and socialised with Cadets from other teams from around the country.

On the second day, straight after breakfast, we were put into our teams and then went to zero the weapons – in other words, adjust to our individual ways of using the sights. We then did a practise shoot for the Advance to Contact Match and then went straight into the competition which lasted the rest of the weekend, completing a number of Matches on different ranges. I was amazed by the number of teams in the competition, drawn from counties from Scotland, Ireland and Wales as well as teams from Air Cadets and Sea Cadets.

In the intervals between matches, I would relax with the other Cadets and try to memorise the shoots.

Just a point to note – this was the first time for our County that the GP rifle had been used at Bisley, so for two of us to finish in the “Cadet 50” was an awesome achievement. As well as this, one of our team then qualified to be in the ACF Team to compete against the Sea Cadets, and the Air Cadets in the Inter-Service Competition and came second in that shoot.

Overall, my team of four won a Bronze medal as we came third in the ACF Competition.

The majority of the team members were attending Bisley for the first time – only myself and one other team member had fired here previously and one of the Team has only been doing Cadets for a year – the Shooting Team Captain only spotted her talent at Annual Camp in August this year.

The final competition of the action-packed weekend was the Falling Plates, which is the traditional “fun” shoot – which doesn’t mean it’s not taken very seriously and it’s really competitive. Sadly, we got our come-uppance here by being knocked out in the second round so that was the end of our competition.

I really enjoyed my time as Bisley and hope to be back there again soon.

The GMACF CISSAM Team 2016

Our Bronze-winning Team. See how happy they are.

Do you have what it takes to serve with GMACF, either as an Adult Volunteer or as a Cadet? Are you looking for an opportunity to work hard and develop new skills? If so, why not contact GMACF County HQ on 01204 512600.

Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force can also be found in other locations on the Internet

The Inter-Services Cadet Rifle Meet (ISCRM) is the highlight of the Cadet Target Rifle year. The 2016 event was held at Bisley National Shooting Ground, in Surrey, over the weekend of 8 – 10 July. It attracted teams from all over the United Kingdom – this year 142 teams with a total of 452 firers from the Sea Cadet Corps, the ACF and the ATC, alongside a strong contingent from our friends from the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.

This year GMACF entered two teams in the event, having obtained qualifying scores at the Coaching course in April and the Brigade event in May at Altcar.

11 Cadets represented Greater Manchester; they were:

A Team

Cdt RSM L Hopkins – 4 (Korea) Company

Cdt Cpl JP Short – 5 (Anzio) Company

Cdt LBdr L Wilson – 6 (Quebec) Company

Cdt LBdr M Mason – 5 (Anzio) Company

B Team

Cdt CSM F Thobois – 5 (Anzio) Company

Cdt CSM G Williams – 6 (Quebec) Company

Cdt SSgt J Burns – 3 (Somme) Company

Cdt LBdr J Anderson – 5 (Anzio) Company

The Reserves were:

Cdt Sgt H Williams – 6 (Quebec) Company

Cdt Cpl C Ashurst, 5 (Anzio) Company

Cdt LCpl L Daily-O’Neil – 4 (Korea) Company

As in previous years, the teams attended the pre-Bisley coaching course, based at Brunswick camp, utilising the Pirbright range complex. The course was open to all ACF qualifying teams. The course started Monday morning with revision lessons and then straight onto the range to check-zero the weapons. The following three days allowed the teams and new coaches to get valuable practice firing at 300yds, 500yds and 600yds. This was the first time some had shot at 600yds, (thinking about it, it was about the first time that the weather had allowed us to see out to 600 yards). As the week progressed the shooting improved and some high scores started to show and the final team selections made.

On Friday, the teams moved to Bisley, home of the National Rifle Association and the centre of competition target rifle shooting in the UK since 1890. The iconic Century Range was to host all the competition shoots for the next three days.

Century Range is an impressive 108 lane gallery range allowing firers to engage targets up to 600yds.

Friday saw the Cadets fire in four shoots at two distances starting at 300yds, consisting of a practice shoot, Cadet individual shoot and Cadet coached shoot. The Cadet coached shoot does not allow any adult staff on the firing point less for safety staff. On completion of the 300yds shoots, the teams moved back to 600yds and fired the final shoot in testing windy conditions.

On Saturday morning, fed and watered early, the Cadets moved back to Century Range to complete another four shoots starting at 300yds before moving to 500yds. Cadet CSM Thobois, one of our most experienced marksmen, had a blinding shoot at 300yds with a score of 34.4 out of a maximum of 35, earning him 4th place in the shoot. The remainder of the teams where now scoring 32.3 getting personal best scores at 500yds

Both Teams improved on their placing from last year. The County came 6th out of 24 in the Canada Cup, with Cdt CSM Thobois and Cdt Cpl Short coming 42th and 59th respectively in the Cadet 100 Competition in a field of 452 Cadets, and the rest of our firers achieved the highest ever placings, gaining personal best scores in their shooting careers to date – and I do mean “to date” because we intend to do better next year.

Do you have what it takes to serve with GMACF, either as an Adult Volunteer or as a Cadet? Are you looking for an opportunity to work hard and develop new skills? If so, why not contact GMACF County HQ on 01204 512600.

Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force can also be found in other locations on the Internet

The most prestigious event to take place within the Cadet shooting fraternity is the Inter Service Cadet Rifle Meeting (ISCRM), held at Bisley National Shooting Ground, in Surrey, this year over the weekend of 4-6 July. The event brings together the best Target Rifle shooters throughout the Sea Cadet Corps, the ACF and the ATC, to compete against each other over the weekend. The Cadets shoot a number of competitions over two days ranging from 300 yards to 600 yards

For the first time in over ten years GMACF gained entry to this event after having obtained a qualifying score in the Brigade event held in May.

GMACF were represented by Cadets from:

3 (Kohima) Company – Cdt Leigh Wilson

5 (Anzio) Company – SSgt Sam Shaw & Sgt Francis Thobois

6 (Quebec) Company Sgt Dan Dawson.

The Team were also selected to attend Bisley in the week before the ISCRM, to partake in the Pre-Bisley Coaching course giving the Cadets the opportunity to gain valuable practice time before the actual competition.

This was a truly amazing experience for both Adults and the Cadets. We were accommodated in Brunswick camp in the Pirbright complex, the teams travelling each day to practise at Stony Castle Ranges a short way down the road; this gave cadets the chance to fire at 600 yards which was a first for most of them.

At the end of the week, Cadets then moved to shoot on Century Range at Bisley National Shooting Centre. This was an amazing sight as this range has over 100 firing lanes.

All through the competition, GMACF Cadets held their own amongst some of the better teams with Sgt Thobois and SSgt Shaw posting some respectable scores of 31.2 and 32.2 out of 35 at 500 yards. Overall, the team finished a respectable 71st place out of 105 teams that entered, and Sgt Thobois managed to get in the prestigious Cadet 100 Squad who all received their Cadet 100 badge to proudly display on their uniform.

Hopefully we can now maintain this and take another team down to Bisley next year – or maybe even an “A” and a “B” Team!

Do you have what it takes to serve with GMACF, either as an Adult Volunteer or as a Cadet? Are you looking for an opportunity to work hard and develop new skills? If so, why not contact GMACF County HQ on 01204 512600.

Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force can also be found on the Internet at: